


T-Rex Hunting in Amber Beach

by kyrdwyn



Series: Family Rules [2]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:59:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3489143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyrdwyn/pseuds/kyrdwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new red ranger with a T-Rex Zord.  Cue the previous T-Rex rangers hunting for their fellow red.</p>
            </blockquote>





	T-Rex Hunting in Amber Beach

As much as she wanted to, Shelby did not roll her eyes as she set the menus down in front of the three men in red and one man in black at the table. "Hi, my name is Shelby and I'll be your server today," she told them with a smile. "Can I get you anything to start with?"

"Water for me," the oldest man in red said, giving her a smile.

"Soda," the youngest told her with what he probably thought was a charming grin.

"Water for me, as well."

"And me," the man in black added.

"Three waters and a soda," Shelby said. "I'll be right back."

As she turned away, she heard one of them say, "So, what made you think we'd find anything to do with the new T-Rex ranger at a dinosaur museum?"

She ducked into the kitchen, laughing to herself. Tyler looked up and smiled at her. "What's so funny?"

"Table 8," she said. "They must be ranger groupies, heard them saying they're looking for the T-Rex ranger at the museum."

Chase and Riley, entering the kitchen, looked at her, and Chase started grinning. "Oh, Tyler has groupies now?"

"All rangers have groupies," Shelby replied. "Have you seen the internet? There are websites and message boards and fanfiction about rangers. People get into wars over who is the better ranger, better color, even better rangers in the same color based on teams. Not so much about us yet, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on that."

"I might have to as well," Chase mused. "But we've got people looking for our red ranger? Maybe we should give them to him, so to speak."

"Um," Riley said.

Chase put a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Let him take their orders to the table. Let's see if they notice anything."

 _They might,_ Shelby thought. _Considering all four of them were red rangers, and three of them had tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur zords._ But that wasn't something that was common knowledge. The only reason Shelby knew who the four men were was due to her mother and father, who had both been power rangers themselves. Though neither of them, for various reasons, had remained in contact with their ranger teammates, they made sure that Shelby knew their history, knew who the rangers were, and any new information they got, including who the rangers were for the teams after them. But that wasn't something she could share with her teammates, not even after they'd met her dad the other day. At least, not until her dad had given her the okay to break Rule 5.

"I don't know," Tyler was saying now, looking worried.

"It'll be fun," Shelby said. "If they ask you outright, just start laughing. It'll confuse them."

"Okay," Tyler said. "But only for their meals."

Shelby grinned as she got the drinks onto a tray. "You got it." She headed back into the dining room and delivered the drinks, taking their orders. As she walked away again, stopping to clear a table near them, she heard Rocky DeSantos, the second red ranger, saying "And what's up with the pink ranger getting the triceratops? Man, if Billy were here, I can't imagine what he'd say to that."

"Ethan thinks it's cool," Conner McKnight, the red Dino Thunder ranger, replied. "He wants to meet his tricera-sister, as he put it."

"He would," Tommy Oliver snorted. "But we're not here to interfere, guys. Just to observe, maybe figure them out."

"Tommy's right," Jason Scott said. "We have no reason to interfere now. They're doing fine on their own."

Well, that was high praise from the original red ranger, at least. Shelby went back into the kitchen to find Chase waiting for her.

"So?" Chase asked. "Are they discussing the stunning accuracy and fitness of the black ranger?"

Shelby shook her head as she handed Tyler the order. "No, they were discussing the awesomeness of the triceratops belonging to the pink ranger instead of the blue this time."

"What is... wrong... with stegosaurus for blue ranger?" Koda asked.

"Nothing," Riley said, patting Koda on the shoulder. "He's your Zord and that's awesome, right?"

"Sure is," Shelby said.

"Absolutely," Chase replied.

Koda grinned and went back to washing the dishes. Shelby went back out to take care of her other tables.

"Table 8 is done," Tyler said, plating up a Bronto burger. "Care to help me take it out?" he asked Riley.

"Okay," Riley said, taking one of the trays. Shelby followed with drinks for Table 9, so she could hear the conversation.

"I've got a Bronto Burger, medium well, with Fossil fries," Tyler said as he got to the table.

"That's mine," Conner said, reaching for the plate. "Nice name tag," he added.

"Thanks," Tyler said. "Tuna-dactyl melt, no fries?"

"Here," Jason responded.

"Another bronto burger, fossil fries with light salt?"

"That's me," Rocky exclaimed, eagerly taking the plate.

"And the Paleo-Veg salad, no dressing must be yours then," Tyler said as he handed the plate to Tommy. Riley took the other tray from Tyler. "Can we get you anything else?"

"I've got a question," Conner asked "You guys get to pick the dinosaurs on your name tags, or are they assigned?"

"We get to pick, unless the one you want is taken."

"You pick that one then?" Rocky asked.

"Nah, Riley here stole my favorite," Tyler said with a grin at the younger ranger. "So I got stuck with the T-Rex."

"You don't like the tyrannosaurus rex?" Jason asked.

"Velociraptors are much cooler," Tyler said, and Riley grinned. "Anyway, if you need anything else, just let one of us know!" He and Riley headed back to the kitchen, and Shelby finished taking her order.

"Can't be him," Rocky said. "The T-Rex should have been his favorite."

"They might not even be near the museum anyway," Jason said. "It's not like any of us were in Angel Grove. And you only rarely in Reefside."

"Yeah, there were reasons for that," Tommy was saying as Shelby moved off.

"Well?" The others pounced on her as she returned to the kitchen.

"Oh, they are convinced that Tyler can't be the red ranger because the T-Rex isn't his favorite dinosaur."

"What?" Tyler asked as the others looked at him. "I like velociraptors too. And if we're trying to throw them off, well, sure, Rexie is my favorite dinosaur, but Raptor is pretty cool too." He nudged Riley, who was still grinning as he left the kitchen with another order.

When Shelby went to take the bill over to Table 8, the four men were still talking. Jason looked up at Shelby. "Thanks," he said, taking the slip. "Hey, can we ask you a question?"

"If you don't mind that I don't answer anything too personal," she said with a smile.

Rocky grinned at her. "We were just wondering what you thought of the power rangers in Amber Beach."

Shelby sighed. "Considering what's been going on, it's good to have them," she said. "But it's bad that we have to have them, you know? It's been, what twenty two years since Rangers first appeared? And we still need them?" She shook her head. "My dad grew up in Angel Grove. He told me he thought it was all over when the rangers had to reveal themselves. And then two years later, rangers showed up in Mariner Bay, and it's been just about every year since then. I guess I'm just like him, waiting for the day we don't need Rangers at all."

All four former rangers were looking at her in surprise. "I never thought about it that way," Tommy said.

"Me either," Conner added softly.

Jason handed Shelby the bill and cash. "Keep the change. And thanks for everything, including the personal opinion."

"Just don't tell my boss, she'd not be happy."

"Your secret is safe with us," Tommy said.

"Enjoy the museum," Shelby said as she left the table. She went over to the register, and blinked as she realized they'd left her a $20 tip.

She'd have to tell her dad that three of his former teammates had shown up in Amber Beach, and they might actually have listened to his ideas on Rangers.

"They figure it out?" Chase asked her, coming up with a credit card for another table.

"Not that I could tell," she said with a grin. "They'll just have to be disappointed in missing out on seeing an actual ranger."

"Good," Tyler said from behind her. "No one is supposed to know who we are, after all."

 _Rule 4a_ , Shelby thought. _Never let anyone know you're a Power Ranger._ "Save the city by ten, serve them lunch by noon, save them again before dinner," she said aloud.

"The fun never ends, eh?" Chase said with a wink.

"Wouldn't change it for the world," Shelby said, heading out to another table. She really wouldn't. As long as Sledge and Fury were out there, Amber Beach needed rangers, the way Angel Grove and Mariner Bay and all those other cities had.

And she'd be there, defending her city, like her parents had, until the day Sledge was defeated.

 _And may that day be soon,_ she thought. _Very soon._


End file.
